Palatine To Target 'Charity' Bins With Zoning

Most people have seen the monolithic 'charity' collection bins located in various parking lots around Palatine.

The boxes often ask for old clothes or other items to be dumped inside. Where the clothes go and who collects the items can sometimes be a mystery. Palatine is now considering changes to its zoning ordinance to better deal with the bins.

Palatine Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning Kevin Anderson said the bins often do not have contact information on them and are not always associated with a charity.

"We have a lot of people just dumping whatever," Anderson said. "And in many cases items are not being picked up in a timely fashion so stuff piles up."

The Plan Commission is expected to make a recommendation on the changes at its meeting Feb. 21 at 8 p.m., 200 E. Wood St. The Village Council likely will consider the matter in March.

Anderson said the changes to Palatine's zoning would codify how the village already deals with the bins. He said the village treats them as a secondardy use, meaning they only should be allowed on property that already is being used by a nonprofit.

For example, Anderson said the bins could be allowed on a nonprofit thrift store or resale shop property. However, he said the bins would not be allowed on purely commercial property.

Anderson said that some of the bins are run by for profit companies and that individuals will show up, pick through the items to see what they want and leave the remainder.

Anderson said the lack of management of some of the bins leads them to become magnets for discarded items: "People will say, 'Hey I've got a bag of old clothes, I'll just put it next to it.' "

Anderson said that collection bins for legitimate charities could go through the village and seek permission to locate bins in locations where they are allowed.

However, he said some bins not associated with charities have been popping up on commercial properties.

"My understanding is that sometimes the property owner is shamed into allowing them because they thought it was a legitimate charity," Anderson said. "When that really is not the case."